If You Have Fios, You MIGHT Be Losing ABC, ESPN and FreeForm in 2019

posted by Raphael -

Dec 26, 2018

When the New Year comes around, you may be losing ABC, Disney Channel, FreeForm and ESPN if you're a Philly Verizon Fios customer. The company behind all those channels, Disney, is starting to run ads that tell people "don't lose your shows" according to industry website, Deadline Hollywood.

You might be asking how this is all possible. It's because companies like Verizon and Comcast pay companies like Disney "carriage fees" to show their content on their cable services. Companies like Disney want more, especially because they broadcast big events like some of the College Football playoff games, which gets big ratings. Verizon doesn't want to pay more in carriage fees. Part of the reason why is you can get ABC for free over-the-air, so companies like Verizon don't want to pay for something other people can get for free. The two sides negotiate and sometimes as a last resort, they'll black out the channels to put even more pressure on each other. The two sides know it can really annoy customers.

It's important to note that it MIGHT happen. There's still some time before the deadline and both companies put out statements saying they're optimistic they'll reach an agreement. Sometimes the two sides won't come to an agreement, but will still keep the channels on and continue to work at it.

If you want to be prepared, you could think about getting an over-the-air antenna. You have to see if it's the best option for you, but you'd be able to pick up ABC (but not ESPN, Disney Channel or FreeForm, since they're cable channels).